Texas Rangers Blog

Sources: A’s Andrew Bailey among Rangers potential targets

SEATTLE – A year ago, the Rangers pulled off the seemingly unthinkable, making a deal for a big-time pitcher within their own division.

Might they do it again?

According to a report by FOX Sports, Ken Rosenthal, teams have been calling Oakland about closer Andrew Bailey. According to two sources, the Rangers are among those teams and the A’s have at least started looking more in-depth at the Rangers farm system. According to Rosenthal, the A’s feeling is they’d have to be “overwhelmed” in order to move Bailey. In the parlance of the trade deadline market, that essentially means he’s available.

Bailey is hardly the only reliever whom the Rangers have monitored. They had basic conversations with Florida regarding Leo Nunez as far back as two weeks ago, but according to sources, there has been little in the way of ongoing conversation. Texas is also monitoring Heath Bell, who is expected to be the most high profile reliever traded this month.

And Bailey might not be the only AL West reliever in whom the Rangers have interest. There have been reports that Seattle would consider moving closer Brandon League.

Beyond their success, what makes Bailey and League so attractive as potential trade targets is that the Rangers would control them beyond this year. Bailey will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter, meaning that a team acquiring him could control him through at least 2014. League has one more year of arbitration before free agency.

That’s also what makes the potential price exorbitant. Unless the A’s and Mariners are motivated to do long-range tear-downs of their club, trading controllable guys with fairly reasonable salaries might not make the most sense in the world.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels does not comment on specific players, but he acknowledged the club has no fear of trading within its own division. The Cliff Lee deal last year, speaks for itself. The Rangers also had serious talks with the Los Angeles Angels in 2007 about Mark Teixeira, who like Bailey and League, would have been controllable for at least one full season after the trade.

“If a trade is in the best interests of the Rangers, we don’t have a problem trading within the division,” Daniels said.

Another question about Bailey is his long-term healthy risk. He missed the first two months of the season with a forearm strain and also spent three weeks on the DL last year. League has also had arm issues, but has not been on the DL since 2007.

Bailey is 0-2 with nine saves in 11 chances since being activated from the DL on May 29. He has just three walks in 16 innings, but has pitched on back-to-back days just twice this season. He has held hitters to a .161 average.

League has 23 saves in 27 attempts and a 3.44 ERA. League has allowed just seven walks in 25 innings and held opponents to a .288 OBP.